Midnight Mystery
by Firenzie
Summary: Sora's out in the backyard when she feels like something is watching her...


Midnight Mystery

By Firenze

It was a cold night. I shivered, rubbing my arms, on which goosebumps had appeared. The crisp October air nipped at my face and my fawn-colored hair, which I had gotten cut recently. As I exhaled, I saw my breath in front of my face. It occurred to me to go inside and put on a jacket, but I didn't feel like going back into the warmth of my house or else I'd never want to return to the cold backyard.

Glancing wearily at the nearly wilting begonias, I decided to stay outside until I was done replanting all the flowers into pots. The pinks and light purples would add color to the inside of the house, which was often bland during the winter. But most importantly, Mama needed it for her florist's shop. Flowers don't live very long in cold weather.

My gaze was turned skyward. It was a very dark night; gray clouds covered it, a sign of rain, sleet, or snow. If I neglected to finish the job now, it would never be done. Stars were hardly visible, and the yellow full moon barely peeked out from behind the thick storm clouds. Yes, it was truly now or never.

I kneeled down and picked up the small, dirt-covered shovel and began to dig out the moist, dark soil. Carefully, I transferred the delicate flower into the small, clay pot. This work was very repetitive, but I kept at it. Mama had gone down with a slight fever, and the flowers needed to be relocated quickly. Of course, she valued her plants more than her health, but I made sure she had taken her pill and drank some hot tea before I went out. She was about all the immediate family I had, so I bided her every request, no matter what that was.

Finished with the begonias, I moved on to the petunias. I felt bad for thinking so, but I really shouldn't have let Mama get everything she expected out of me. Sure, flower arranging seemed far more appealing than before I went to the Digiworld, but I think it was too much to tell me to quit soccer, my most favorite sport. After all, that meant I couldn't see Tai nearly as much, except at school and during a crisis. Neither is fun.

I had done it once again. The subject of Tai weighted heavily on my mind, that I didn't notice I was digging a small hole a few inches away from the flower I was supposed to move. Recently, I couldn't get him off my mind no matter how hard I tried. If my mind somehow wandered onto something else, it always came back to him. I never dared to tell anyone, even my best friend Mimi, because she can have a pretty big mouth, and then the whole entire school would think I was just another typical girl in love with Tai, and tease me about joining his fan club.

True, I knew things about him no one, not even Kari or Matt knew about him. Moments we shared alone together were sometimes too deep and meaningful for words to even be needed. I could learn a million things by gazing into his chocolate brown eyes that he wouldn't reveal to a trusted best friend of many years. I like things this way, and if he, or anyone, knew about my feelings, it had the potential to ruin our entire friendship, and that was possibly one of the worst things I could think to happen.

Finally, I snapped to my senses, and returned to the correct spot and flower. Hastily, I dumped it in, not caring about anything more than going back into my room and spilling my confused thoughts into my journal that I kept. All I heard in the night air was the whooshing of the wind, the rustling of tree leaves, my steady breaths, and the sound of dirt being moved. And then…my ears picked up a noise that seemed out of place and stood out, but I couldn't decipher what it could be.

I looked around the small backyard. Nothing was around me at all. Feeling foolish, I turned back around, only to have that familiar sensation prickling at the back of my neck. Someone or something was watching me. Good or bad, human or animal, friend or foe, stalker or criminal…well, both those last two were bad, but I couldn't be sure at all what it was. And I was scared, to have someone seeing my every move. 

I was happy they couldn't penetrate my thoughts either, because whenever I'm scared, I think of Tai protecting me, holding me close, safe from any harm with him. Visions of Datamon flash through my mind and the other numerous times he's saved me and helped me in a crisis. Now I wasn't so surprised why I loved him, as I had wondered before. Things were clear in my head, and it only took a scary moment to make me realize it. I think that tension had subsided. Whatever it had been was gone.

I quickly finished up, carried the pots into the greenhouse, put away the gardening tools, and finally headed inside to the safety and comfort of my home, hugging myself as I went in. The air was warm and toasty and a faint smell of roses lingered. Mama always had flowers in vases or pots around the house.

Kicking off my shoes by the front door, I wearily traipsed up the stairs. I checked on Mama, who was asleep, said goodnight, and went to my room to change out of my soiled jeans and into a comfortable pair of pajamas. As I was pulling my star and moon pattered pants and a white shirt, I changed my mind, an urge to go back outside coming over me for a reason. So I changed back into my jeans, grabbed a warm coat from the closet, a flashlight from the kitchen, put my shoes back on, and felt curious to see if the mysterious watcher was still there, and who or what it was.

After a few seconds of doubt, my mind was telling me to go to sleep, but my heart wanted to know what had been looking over me, so I listened to my heart like I was always advised. I slid the screen door open as silently as possible and tiptoed like a cat outside. And as I had figured, the sensation had returned in a rush, stronger than before. Whatever it could be was closer.

"Hello?" I whispered softly, turning on my flashlight. The beam danced around the yard as I searched every possible place the watcher could be hidden. I distinctly saw something move, and as I whipped my flashlight to point at them, my hand started to shake, causing me to drop it. The light went away; the flashlight was busted, the batteries fallen out.

In the darkness, I groped about for it, but I couldn't feel its cylinder shape in my hand. How I wished I hadn't come outside again! As my eyes adjusted, I saw it, causing my heart to stop. A silhouetted shape was heading for me. Closer and closer…it was definitely a person…

I shut my eyes tightly and prayed I wouldn't die. A convict is probably what they were, about to rob me of whatever I had of use, though nothing at the time was valuable except for the golden necklace Tai had given me for Christmas. Then the criminal would rape me, brutally murder me by slicing me into pieces, and fling my bloody parts into the ocean. Why? Because I wanted to know what had been watching me. Yes, curiosity had killed the cat.

I was shaking like crazy, kneeling down and bending over, curled up in a little ball. A hand touched my shoulder and I violently shuddered, tears dripping down my face. "Don't kill me…"

"Why would I kill you?"

I went absolutely hysterical, sobbing terribly. The voice was one I recognized, loved. I sat up straight and looked at the person next to me, though I knew what I'd find. "Tai!" I choked out.

Sure enough, it was him; that I had been able to tell without even seeing him. His mess of brown hair was tousled and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked like he really needed sleep, and then I noticed he was in his pajamas.

Despite this odd appearance, he was the person I had most wanted to see. I quickly stood up and flung my arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder, soaking his cotton pajamas. "What are you doing here? Why are you in your pajamas?"

He clung to me as tightly as I was holding onto him, and it took me a few seconds to realize that he was crying as well. "I was asleep…then my dad woke me up and said the apartment was on fire," he said slowly, breathing deeply. "I ran away with everyone else and then as one section began to burn down before the fire trucks were there, a man said that the fire wasn't natural. Someone had started it. Have you ever gotten that feeling that someone was watching you?"

I couldn't even speak; I just buried my face into the nape of his neck, breathing heavily.

"And then I turned around, and this tall man in an overcoat dragged me away from everyone, muffling my mouth. He was strong, really strong, but somehow I managed to get away. Then I ran as fast as I could, and I realized I was on your street, so this was the safest place to go. As quietly as I could, I hopped over the fence since I saw you come out, and that's about it. I just got away."

"But if you just got here…who was watching me earlier?" I asked in terror, turning my head to face him.

"Someone was watching you?" Tai asked, his eyes widening. "Do you think they could be dangerous?"

"That's who I thought you were," I replied shakily. "I actually thought my life was about to end right then."

He held me as close as possible and stroked my hair. "Nice haircut," he replied quietly, and then we caught each other's eyes. For a very long time, we were clinging tightly to each other and just gazing. Muddy and reddish shades of brown, looking deeply into the other.

"Well, you don't have to worry anymore," Tai said finally, breaking the comforting, and no longer eerie, silence. Still running his fingers through my light brown hair, he inched his head closer to mine, and whispered, "I won't let anything hurt you."

Traces of tears were almost gone from both our eyes, and his other hand cupped my cheek and his thumb wiped the last traces away from my eyes and face. I was speechless at the moment, just believing his words. I shivered slightly as his thumb gently caressed my cheek, and then we both closed our eyes, knowing what was going to happen next. The moment came in slow motion; I could hear and feel him breathing more deeply as our faces came nearer. Finally, his lips touched mine for a glorious second—

The rustling of move leaves snapped us to our senses. We jumped back from each other and Tai protectively covered me. "Who's there?" he asked hoarsely.

I took a timid step forward, right as the clouds completely covered the moon, trying to see in the absolute darkness. "Someone's here," I whispered, my hands trembling.

Tai seemed to notice, because he took my hand in his and held it tightly as we tried to see who it was out there. Nothing happened for a few seconds. My breath was caught in my throat as we waited.

"Come on," Tai muttered. "We should go inside now, where we're safe."

I nodded, and he led me to the screen door. Suddenly, I remembered. The flashlight! Mama had told me it used to belong to my grandfather, my father's dad, both of whom had died while I was still very young. "I have to go back," I said, releasing myself from his grasp. 

"Don't!" he pleaded. "Come back, let's go now!"

Sort of ignoring him, I scurried back to the place where I remembered the flashlight had last been. I picked up the broken flashlight and scattered batteries, thinking how I could fix it, when Tai's horrified shout reached my ears.

"Sora, no!"

I looked up, and then a tall figure struck me across the face with something hard. I screamed, and the last thing I felt was blood trickling down my forehead, as the flashlight rolled out of my palm, and I passed out.

***

"Oh, Sora!"

I must have been dreaming. "Mama? You're sick, you should be in bed," I said weakly, coming to. My eyelids hurt just to open them; I think they were bruised. "Where am I?"

"You're home, Sora, on the couch in the living room. And I should be here with you, you're hurt," Mama said very gently, cradling my face in her hands, murmuring a soft lullaby.

"What happened earlier?"

She let go and stood up. "Why don't you ask Tai?" Then I heard her footsteps as she walked away to give us some privacy.

Cautiously blinking open an eye just enough to see, I saw him come by the couch. "Sora, I'm so sorry," he said, feeling guilty. "I let you get hurt."

"It's not your fault," I said feebly.

"Shhh…" He pressed a finger to my lips and his other hand wove into mine.

"You're hurt too," I said, despite him. I could feel the bandages on his hand and I saw him with a few more band-aids on his forehead and cheek. The other was bruised badly and dark purple and his nose was red.

His hand moved to lightly feel the wound across my face, to see how bad it really was. "It was the man who captured and chased me," he said. "Sora, that man – he's a brother to someone – someone who he claimed to have _created_ the Digiworld a few years ago. Well, he was jealous and wanted to take it over to show that his brother wasn't the best in the family. First, he had to destroy us, the Digidestined. Police said that my building wasn't the only one set on fire, and earlier he had tried to kidnap TK, Yolei, and Cody. Of course, the Digiworld information was garbage to the police, but that means we were all almost killed tonight because we're who we were destined to be."

I was in shock. "That isn't possible that someone created the Digiworld!"

Tai nodded sadly. "It is. He came back to finish me off, and you were an added bonus. I tried to beat him, but he was just too strong. I think neighbors and your mom heard your scream, and then me and the man shouting and a scuffle. They both called the police, and now everything is okay. He's going to jail, and all the apartments are fine. Everything is all right now."

"I hope so," I said softly. "Tonight I thought my life was going to end – twice – and I thought I'd lose you along with it."

"I thought I was going to die too, especially when he was chasing me. Then the second time, I just had no chance. He was beating me to a pulp when the police finally arrived – but I don't want you to worry," he added quickly.

"Of course I'd worry if I thought we were both going to die," I said. "You know me, the big fat worrywart."

"Don't call yourself that," Tai said. "You care about everyone, that's all. Crest of Love remember? I told you it was perfect."

"Sorry I doubted you. And yelled at you too, back then, for just trying to cheer me up."

"It's ancient history. Your crest glowed, we killed that creep Demidevimon, the Digiworld is now a place that we can't have time to always visit whenever we want. High school sucks."

I giggled. "Is it because the girls are so much older?" I teased him.

His blushed, making his injured features look even nastier. "I just said that to Mr. Fujiyama as a distraction. He went on and on and on."

"Did you have an _interesting_ conversation?"

He sighed. "I suppose you could say that. It was actually pretty funny to hear him saying all the things he knew about the opposite sex – which is about nothing. I distinctly remember the birds and the bees coming up somewhere in there, and I'm almost sure he was about to give me 'the talk' that we got years ago."

I laughed. "And so do you consider yourself the master of knowledge about girls?"

"I'll never understand them."

"Ditto," I said, "even though I am one."

"It's because you used to be a sort of tomboy, and it's natural to have more fun with guys playing sports and stuff than putting on makeup and nail polish with girls like Mimi," he explained, but I think it was more to himself. "Which is actually an even better strategy than dressing like a slut and trying to look hot, because guys can talk to you easier and like you for who you really are inside – not what you look like when you dress up."

"So you think guys like me for who I am?" I asked in awe.

Pink hues appeared on his face. "And becauseyou'rekindofcute, but it's mostly because of the former."

I smiled, even though it made my face ache. "Do you think I'm cute, Tai?" I teased again.

"Well, let me put it this way. You can be covered in bruises and bandages and cuts and scratches or even pimples or a rash or something, and you'll always be beautiful to me because of the great person in the inside."

"Is that a yes?"

He nodded, blushing even more. He rubbed the back nervously and took a deep breath. "You've always been more than cute to me. Since almost forever, I thought you were the most beautiful girl in the world, which was when I first saw you. I also found out you were really smart at school, nice to practically everyone, and at soccer camp, I saw that you were one of the best there. In the Digiworld, I got to know you even more. You were still very caring for the Digimon and us, you're persistent and determined when it comes time to fight an evil Digimon, and you're really strong and brave.

"And considering that Mimi was our only other female companion, I began to like you even more because you weren't the stereotypical type of girl that you see every day that she is. You're special, one of a kind, and you mean everything to me. I hated to see you sad, I never wanted you in danger, I always tried my best to look out for the team, but mostly because I didn't want to see you get hurt. When we fought, I felt so miserable and crummy that I pretty much didn't care about anything else, and you're still the only person always on my mind.

"The main point that I'm trying to get across is: I'd die if I ever lost you. The things I feel for you are deeper and more emotional than I've ever felt any way about anyone else, even my parents, Kari, Agumon. I've finally realized what it is – it's still love, but this is the kind that isn't family-related or anything, it's true love." He laughed nervously, tears coming down. "I love you, Sora Takenouchi."

I was pretty much hit by a bullet train. I couldn't do anything except let my own tears fall and smile so happily that I thought I'd stretch out my face. "Ditto," I said weakly with a laugh, from getting hit with this immense shock. I brought our clasped to my cheek and he continued to stroke my hair.

We faintly smiled at each other. "How about we finish where we left off earlier?" he suggested, leaning his head in front of mine.

I still smiled and nodded, sitting up. He offered me a hand up, and soon we were standing right in front of each other, unsure of where to start. Then Tai just leaned over and began to kiss me. We wrapped ourselves up in each other's arms and nothing else around us existed, it was like time had frozen and only we had gone on. We were lost in our own world.

"Sora, are you—?" Mama began, but then she saw Tai and me and I could just imagine her smile. I heard her as she tiptoed away.

"I've wanted to tell you this forever," Tai said, as we broke apart for a few seconds to regain our breath. "And I'd have dreams about what just happened."

"Ditto," I repeated, too overwhelmed to say anything at all intelligent or romantic. Then because I knew I sounded very stupid, I whispered, "I love you, too." We drew even closer and began to kiss again, longer this time.

And to imagine that this would have never happened if that crazy, jealous man weren't trying to take over the Digital World his brother had made, makes me almost want to thank him.

***

**A/N:******Just trying out a new writing style, because I'm kind of bored my old one. I'll still use it; of course, because this is one the strangest fics I've written. I wrote it at about 1:00 in the morning when I couldn't sleep, and this idea just poured out of nowhere, even though I have lots of other fics to finish. As for the title, I had about three different ones, but they were all even stupider, and as my fic progressed into something that it wasn't meant to be at first, none of them fit. I know it wasn't exactly midnight either, but it sounds better than Nighttime Mystery. Just so you know, I know nothing about flowers and when they bloom, so cut me some slack. Anyway, even though this story was weird, none of my fics about Digimon don't have some Taiora in it. I'm supposed to write a Koumi for someone, and I'll get to it eventually. I'm just more of a Mimato fan. Now on a final note, please review.

**Disclaimer:******None of this is mine, all right? That being said, you can't sue me now!


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